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KC
CONCEPCION is an anomaly, especially in the current
landscape of celebrity routinely littered with tawdry
tabloid news of the latest and increasingly notorious
hijinks of wayward progeny of the rich and famous.
Especially given the fact that this very beautiful and
very rich young woman grew up amid the insane circus
that is show business where the marriage of her very
famous parents—Gabby Concepcion and Sharon Cuneta—unraveled
and dissolved, with her father later taking flight on
the heels of a national scandal.
If there
was any child of showbiz with the license to act up in
the most licentious ways, it should have been KC, born
on April 7, 1985, and christened Maria Kristina
Cassandra Concepcion.
 And
yet, here she is finally embracing the spotlight that
had courted her from birth, but which she had studiously
shunned throughout much of her young life—save for
forays into theater, most notably the musical Little
Mermaid—coming into her own self and celebrity amid the
sort of gossip and intrigue that won’t even yield a
dozen pages of search results on Google. No doubt, her
mother is to be credited for how admirably KC has grown
up, but—and we’re quite certain that Sharon will agree
with us—this young woman of precocious maturity deserves
plenty of taps on the back as well.
After
dabbling in the performing arts through theater, you
have recently ventured further into showbiz with a guest
appearance on ABS-CBN’s Maalaala Mo Kaya? What convinced you to go further into an entertainment career?
There
are actually two reasons for my decision to further
immerse myself in the entertainment industry. The first
is because it is a great opportunity for me to improve
all aspects of my life. I grew up in a family that has
been in the business for such a long time, and simply
being given this chance for me to prove my worth in the
arts, and this early in my career, is such an immense
honor. Second is that I like being challenged when it
comes to my love for performing. Everyone knows that I
act, sing and dance onstage, but TV is a whole new thing
for me. I loved every minute I was doing Maalaala Mo
Kaya, and I hope people were also happy with my
debut performance.
Of
course, from your mother and your father, you know the
downside of a full-blown entertainment career. Are you
prepared for the eventualities?
I
believe that when people decide to enter something they
would like to consider as their “career,” everybody
would really have to sacrifice certain things. In our
case, these might be the times when we lose the free
time we once had, or the privacy that everyone else
enjoys. But my mom has taught me throughout the years
that along with these sacrifices, I will find more ways
to value what I have, the people around me who care, and
the people I have yet to meet. So I have to say that
with this kind of upbringing, I’m more than prepared to
face the future.
Together
with the limitations that this kind of life sometimes
has, it also brings limitless opportunities to do so
many worthwhile things.
Despite
your famous family, you have been pretty much sheltered
from the nastier side of showbiz. Still, surely there
have been stories that have left a bad taste in your
mouth. What do you regard as the worst that’s been
written about you?
Gossip
will always be gossip, and stories will always continue
to come out regardless of what I or anybody in the
industry does. I guess all of us who have been the topic
of such bad stories will—up to a certain extent—find
them bothersome. The important thing for me is that when
I know that my conscience is clear, and I have made my
side of the story clear, all else will be left for the
public to decide whether to believe you or not.
Not
unlike your famous mom, you have been signed to be the
local face of a Sony product line, the Cyber-shot
digital cameras. Besides the familial connection, what
made you commit to the endorsement deal? (Sharon Cuneta
is the celebrity endorser of Sony
Philippines’ WEGA line of TVs.)
Sony
Philippines has always been very close to my heart in so
many ways, from all their products that are nothing
short of amazing, to their very pleasant executives and
personnel. I’m really happy that they found me fitting
to be the face of Cyber-shot, and have welcomed me to
the Sony Philippines family. As for the endorsement, I’m
a big travel junkie, whether it’s a local or foreign
destination. For years and years, I have always used
Sony Cyber-shot cameras to capture and store all my
pictures and even videos. In short, I love my Cyber-shot
because with it, no precious moment is missed. That’s
what made me agree to do this, I never leave home
without it.
Of
course, the Sony Cyber-shot cameras are not the only
products you are endorsing. There’s Globe Telecom, among
many others. Is there any concern that you may be
spreading yourself thin, or that all these endorsements
might result in KC fatigue among consumers?
When it
comes to endorsement deals, I never agree to promote any
product that I don’t personally use or believe in. I
might have a number of products that I currently
endorse, but I would like everyone to know that who they
see in all those billboards, print ads, etc., is really
who or how I am. So when I say that I love to use Sony
Cyber-shot, you can expect to see me out there with my
family or friends taking pictures with my own Cyber-shot
camera.
You are
now doing goodwill work for the United Nations. How did
that come about, and how does it feel to be doing such
work?
Aside
from dancing and acting, I have always had this certain
calling to do my part in the fight against hunger for
Filipino children. Even when I was studying abroad, I
couldn’t help but think about the rising poverty rate in
our country and how it affects countless young lives. So
I was thrilled when I got the news from the World Food
Program (WFP) of the United Nations that they have
selected me as their National Ambassador against Hunger
after undergoing a rigorous screening process. I feel so
blessed and honored to be given this responsibility by
the UN, and I’m so glad that I cannot only bring my
share of the work but also encourage Filipinos
everywhere to help as well. It’s a dream come true for
me.
As an
Ambassador Against Hunger for the WFP, I will get a
chance to use my so-called celebrity status to go to
many different places in the country, and create an
awareness about hunger and, hopefully, spark some
resolutions in the battle against this problem.
Your
father is reportedly in the middle of making a movie
comeback. How does that sit with you?
If the
reports are true, I’m sincerely happy for him. He’s been
out of the country for quite some time now, and for him
to just come back home, even more so to return to do the
thing he loves, is really something. I couldn’t be more
content for him if he gets the chance to do both.
Finally,
KC Concepcion remains firmly attached to her megastar
mom, Sharon Cuneta, which is to be expected, of course.
Still, do you look forward to arriving at a time when
you come to your own person and persona; when people
would see you as a person singular and separate from
your famous parents?
Of
course, comparison cannot be helped since I’m the
daughter of a respected figure in the entertainment
industry, just as me driving to make a name for myself
cannot be helped as well. But I think the main
difference between how I look at things and how most
people perceive me, is that they might think that I’m
doing my own thing to “break out of a certain shell”
made by the image of my mother. But the reason I got
into the business is to make myself the best performer I
could be, and to make my loved ones proud of what I
chose to become. |
